Interviewing: What NOT To Do
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Hopefully, after reviewing all of the resumés, you will be able to pick and choose a select number of qualified applicants to be interviewed. (If not, you may want to expand your time frame and re-write any ad copy and/or look at another recruitment technique.)
Thereupon, here are some pointers for conducting a Successful interview.
Most of these subjects relate directly to U.S. federal and state employment laws. Legislation covering equal employment opportunity is extensive and complex. Check your own state's laws and guidelines. Remember, state laws vary! Consult an attorney for legal advice (before you begin the search process for a new employee).
An effective interview process should be more an attempt at clarification and confirmation than elimination.
Have you forgotten to tell me about ... ?
I need to verify your qualifications on ....
Are you sure you really want to work here?
What you see in those few minutes is not necessarily what you'll get! Keep this in mind and allow for all the honest possibilities to explain the behavior you see. You don't want to eliminate, for example, an extraordinarily qualified candidate with a long history of successes because of the wrong image presented to you in such a tiny time capsule. The trail of successes, in your mind, should override any concern for potential failure possibly presented to you during the interview.
Not only is this statistically smart but legally required!! A mole hill of possibly irrelevant negatives (witnessed in that tiny time frame) could never contradict a mountain of definite positives (recorded repeatedly on the resumé)! So, get yourself to work and verify! Think you could legally justify any alternate process of elimination?! Think again! If you suspect some sort of resumé and/or personal reference(s) fraud, don’t just sit there, call the police! Otherwise, you could be held legally liable for prejudicial candidate selection rooted only in your own personal hunches!
...subtle aspects of how problems are posed, questions are phrased and responses are elicited have substantial impact on judgments that supposedly express ... true values. Furthermore, such lability in expressed preferences is unavoidable; questions must be posed in some manner and that manner may have a large effect on the responses elicited. — Baruch Fischhoff, P. Slovic and S. Lichtenstein, "Knowing what you want: Measuring labile values," in Cognitive Processes in Choice and Decision Behavior, Thomas S. Wallsten (Editor), 1990.
The best predictor of a person’s future behavior is his or her past behavior. So when interviewing candidates, ask questions that focus on previous experiences that are relevant to the current job opening. — Stephen P Robbins, The Truth About Managing People: And Nothing but the Truth, 2002.
It is irrational to measure an individual's total human worth on the basis of some [single] trait, behavior, accomplishment or other attribute. — Albert Ellis and Raymond J Yeager, Why Some Therapies Don't Work: The Dangers of Transpersonal Psychology, 1989.
Acts, and even habits, that are inconsistent with a trait are not proof of the nonexistence of the trait. — Gordon W Allport, Personality and Social Encounter, 1960.
Our behavior cannot be perfect.
— Steven J Hendlin, When Good Enough Is Never Enough: Escaping the Perfection Trap, 1992.
Additionally, as author Stephen Robbins (see excerpts above) points out, a manager should be heartily candid about the job for which the interviewee is applying. Rather than focusing his or her attention solely on "why you should want to work here,” openly discuss the downside(s) as well. As a consequence, what'll happen is twofold:
By exposing all the negatives early on
the interviewee may opt to select his or herself out of your candidate search (thereby immediately eliminating any potential problems from festering subsequent job performance) or will be better prepared to confront the realities of the situation if selected to assume the role. Keep in mind that bombarding an interviewee with nothing but all the positive aspects about a job will set him/her up for disappointment when he or she at last assumes the role and discovers that matters are actually not quite as anticipated or less desirable than expected. Such circumstances may lead to early resignation, or worse still, to a scenario where a new hire decides to tolerate "bad" conditions that another candidate might be able to adapt to more readily.
the manager is starting already to build the confidence and trust that needs to develop between employee and employer if there is to be any successful working relationship, not to mention job satisfaction. Frankness and openness about every aspect of a job before the candidate assumes the position will help to foster a perception of you as someone he or she may readily turn to for guidance should problems arise later in the workplace.
The following is a list of subject matter widely regarded by employment experts as “off-limits” for discussion during an interview.
In an interview, or on an employment application, do NOT ask questions...
..concerning the age of the candidate. Be careful when using the words “over qualified.”
..about an arrest record. This is different from convictions: In most states may you ask, “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?”
..about race or ethnicity
..concerning the candidate's U.S. citizenship prior to hiring. It is permissible to ask, “Will you be able to provide proof of eligibility to work in the U.S. if hired?”
..concerning the candidate's ancestry, birthplace or native language. It is permissible to ask about his or her ability to speak English — or another language required for the job).
..about religion or religious customs/holidays.
..concerning the candidate's height and/or weight if it does not affect the ability to perform the job.
..concerning the names or addresses of relatives. Only asking for names of those relatives employed by the organization are permitted.
..about whether or not the candidate owns or rents his/her home and/or who lives in the same place of residence. Asking for an address for future contact is acceptable.
..concerning the candidate's credit history or financial situation. In some cases, credit history may be considered job-related, but proceed with extreme caution!
..concerning education/training not required to perform the job.
..concerning their sex or gender. Avoid any language or behavior that may be found inappropriate by the candidate. It is his/her standard of conduct that must be met.
..concerning pregnancy or medical history. Usually, you may discuss attendance records at previous places of employment so long as you don't refer to illness or disability.
..concerning the candidate's family or marital status or child-care arrangements. It is permissible to ask if the candidate will be able to work the required hours for the job.
..concerning the candidate's membership in a non-professional organization or club not related to the job.
..concerning physical or mental disabilities. Asking whether the candidate can perform the essential job duties is permitted. The U.S. ADA allows you to ask the applicant to describe or demonstrate how an essential job function would be performed when certain specific conditions are met. Check the law or consult with an attorney before moving forward with this.
REMEMBER: When in doubt, ask yourself if the question is job-related; if not, don't ask!
IMPORTANT LINKS:
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:
http://www.eeoc.gov/Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.html
(National Women's Business Center, Washington, D.C., 6/97)
Reprinted with permission.The above is an adapted portion of The Interview Process — How to Select the "Right" Person. Reprinted with special permission from the Online Women's Business Center.
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